We had a talk given by Simon Fowler this month which was on the theme “Tracing Your Publican and Brewer Ancestors”. The talk highlighted the changes to the way in which the traditions of brewing have changed over the centuries, the rise of the large brewing companies, and now the increased popularity of the micro-brewery. With very few records relating to staff being available from the various companies, it means research relies, among others, on records such as newspapers and licensing applications as well as the usual census returns.